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Mortia
Mortia Mortia is one of the two homes of the Orcs (the other being Drazak). Mortia holds about 83% of the Orcish population of Nesaria, having approximately 5,000,000 inhabitants (the total Orcish population is 6,000,000). It is the second largest city in Nesaria, behind Ascaria. The Chiefdom of Mortia was a local superpower in Nesaria before it was defeated by a coalition led by the Kingdom of Ascaria in the Mortian War, which lasted for nearly a century. This made Mortia essentially irrelevant until the Mortian Renaissance, when in a somewhat ironic turn of events its cultural and scientific advancements dominated Nesaria, and Mortian Orcs became respected as equals to Humans and Elves (although prejudice against Drazaki Orcs still persists to some extent, even amongst Mortians). Much of Mortia was destroyed during the Mortian Genocide, which also exterminated much of the population. Mortians were oppressed for several centuries, only gaining legal equality in the 1st century BC, when soon-to-be Emperor Mathados IV promised them equality in return for their support. Despite this, Mortia was largely ignored by the government until the Mortian Renaissance, when interest in Mortia surged, and the government was willing to fund the ambitious local development projects. Geography Mortia is entirely enclosed in the steep and rocky Mortian Mountains, with the only route out being a thin snaky passage to the south called the Mortia Pass that leads to Zatholshire. Besides the Mortian Mountains, Mortia is flat. It is also very densely urbanised - as stated earlier, Mortia is the largest city in Nesaria besides Ascaria. Since the Mortian Renaissance, great efforts have been made to make the city of Mortia not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing. The architectural style is tightly regulated, and the majority of buildings conform to a vaguely Gothic style. Most of modern Mortia was carefully designed and planned during the Mortian Renaissance, which happened during the advent of the motor car. The designers kept the car in mind during the planning process, but rather than design the city around the car, they deliberately designed the city to not need cars. Services are regularly spaced within walking or cycling distance, and roads are not very common. This was not only inspired by an environmentalist idea, but also the spirit of the Mortian Renaissance; the designers knew that such a focus would force the inhabitants to walk and cycle rather than drive, improving their fitness, and the philosophers behind the Mortian Renaissance believed that Mortia could not be fit and healthy if its people were not also fit and healthy. Almost exactly in the centre of Mortia is the Mortian Citadel, which used to be the seat of the Chiefdom of Mortia, although the original, completed in 500BC, was almost entirely destroyed following the Mortian War. For thousands of years, it lay ruined. A replacement was commissioned in 1936, possibly the most ambitious and expensive architectural project in Mortia to date, which rebuilt the Mortian Citadel to well beyond its original height, adding many Gothic features characteristic of the Mortian Renaissance. Construction was delayed by WW2 and the War of Independence, pushing the completion date to 1959. It is renowned for being exceptionally beautiful, and it is now a major tourist attraction and still the seat of the local Mortian government. Flag The flag of Mortia is a white castle tower on a black background with a white border. * The castle tower is an abstract representation of the Mortian Citadel. * The black colour represents warriors, as this colour has always been associated with warriors in Mortian culture. * The white colour has no symbolic value and is purely aesthetic. The flag is not widely liked amongst the Mortian population, partly because they dislike the flag itself, but mainly because it was designed by Humans, and most Mortians argue that the flag of Mortia should be designed by Mortians. Historically, Mortia was represented with simple banners, usually a white or red lightning bolt on a black background. There are several candidate flags to replace the current one, although there has not yet been any official process to choose a new flag for Mortia. Candidate 1 This flag is a green, white and purple tricolour. * The green represents Orcs - green has always been associated with Orcs due to their green skin. * The white represents purity and truth, things that are associated with white both by Mortians and the neighbouring Humans. * The purple represents Mortia's sovereignty, but also its connection to the Imperial throne. Candidate 2 This flag is rows of green and red alternating stripes with a white-rimmed black shield with a white lightning bolt in the centre. * The green stripes represent Orcs. * The red stripes represent the blood of the Orcs who died to defend Mortia and the Empire. * The black shield represents all the soldiers throughout history who have fought for Mortia and Nesaria. The white colour has no symbolic value and is purely aesthetic. * The white lightning bolt represents Morrokh, as this is a symbol often associated with him. The white colour has no symbolic value and is purely aesthetic. Candidate 3 This flag is a red lightning bolt within a red-rimmed white circle on a black background. This flag is mainly only popular with Mortian nationalists and right-wingers, as it is also the symbol of Mortian Fascism. * The black colour represents the warriors of Mortia. * The white circle represents purity and truth. * The lightning bolt represents Morrokh (and was also inspired by the symbol of the British Fascists). The red colour of this and of the rim around the circle represents the blood of the Orcs who died to defend Mortia and the Empire.